Another weekend of Premier League action has passed, but it didn’t pass without controversy both on and off the pitch. We’ve seen another managerial casualty and therefore another managerial appointment, a Hornet who missed from the spot and a referee substitution. It’s Matchday 11’s Wally of the Week shortlist.
3. Bobby Madley and Jon Moss
People weren’t expecting a very interesting game at the Bet365 Stadium but the game between Stoke and Leicester delivered. It was an intriguing, even contest with both sides finding the net twice but it was the two Referees who became the centre of attention in the first-half. Bobby Madley started the game as the man in the middle but clearly didn’t do his stretches properly and picked up a calf problem midway through the first-half.
Like half of England’s squad this week, Madley couldn’t cope with the pulsating pain and had to come off. Jon Moss the Fourth Official, who should’ve been ready for every eventuality, could not have taken longer to get ready to replace Madley. They exchanged cards, whistles, and spray and had a leisurely chat on the sidelines while the players and fans waited for the match to restart. After what seemed like an eternity, Moss trotted onto the pitch and the game could continue. Madley put on a large puffer coat and assumed Moss’s role as Fourth Official. It was officially a farce.
2. Tom Cleverley
Missing a crucial penalty wasn’t the smartest thing for the Watford captain to do, let alone put it wide. His team had surrendered a two-goal lead and fell behind courtesy of an Everton fightback which saw Leighton Baines put the Toffees in front late-on with a penalty of his own. The Hornets went up the other end and Jordan Pickford brought down Richarlison and Watford were handed a lifeline from the penalty spot. Cleverley, against his former club, stepped up and sent the ball whizzing past the post and his side left Goodison Park with nothing. What else can I say? It was almost inevitable he’d make this shortlist the moment that hi-vis ball left his boot.
1. West Ham United
The Hammers axed their manager, Slaven Bilic, after his side slumped to a 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Liverpool on Saturday evening. After a run of bad results, West Ham sit in the relegation zone so you can’t blame the club for getting rid of the Croatian. What you can blame them for is appointing a manager who has failed miserably in his last three jobs. That’s right, David Moyes was appointed West Ham manager on Tuesday and will take charge of the team for the rest of the season and I can almost guarantee that he won’t stay longer than that. At the end of the season, when West Ham are heading for the Championship after Moyes brings in Steven Pienaar, Darron Gibson, and Adnan Januzaj in January, you can look back on this article and see that West Ham deserved this Wally of the Week title. Co-owner David Gold insisted that Moyes was the ‘best man available at this time’, well Mr. Gold, you didn’t look very hard did you?